Another Perspective
by TaramanianDevil
Summary: 'As Merlin stood beside a flowing river and saw Arthur's body reflected back at him, he remembered the words of the sorcerer the night before.' Merlin had held the burden of secrecy for practically his whole life, until a mysterious sorcerer appeared and turned his (and Arthur's) life upside down in an instant. Merthur friendship (non-slash) Set a few years after Series 4


**A/N: ****_This is my first story so please bear that in mind; however I hope it doesn't affect the quality too much!_**

* * *

"MEEERLINNN!"

Arthur's shout echoed against the castle walls. Exhausted but trying his best to look composed, Merlin stepped into his master's chambers expecting the usual.

While he subconsciously worked away at the chores he had been set, he allowed his mind to drift to the subject that had been troubling him for a while. A few years had passed since Arthur had claimed the throne of Camelot – and he had already proved his strength – yet Merlin hadn't found the right moment to declare his secret. It seemed to him that every time he used magic, Arthur got closer to noticing. Of course, Merlin could just come out to Arthur and reveal it all. He could walk into his master's chambers one day and just tell him everything. He would be rid of the burden, but at what price? Doing so was a risk; their relationship could be ruined in an instant.

And that was the scenario that haunted him.

* * *

"Are we ever going to turn back? We've been riding for _hours_," Merlin complained.

"You're such a girl, Merlin. Missing Gaius are we?"

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Prat," he muttered, which Arthur pretended not to hear.

The darkness had begun to invade the forest in which they were riding, yet Arthur was determined to return to Camelot with a successful hunt. They rode further into the depths of the woodland in silence for a while, allowing the purity of nature to consume them. That was, until the action started.

"Emrys." Merlin's druid name was whispered into the silence, noticeable to both of the men.

Arthur looked around and then at his servant questioningly, but he just received a shrug in reply.

"EMRYS," a figure repeated, and revealed himself. Stood before Merlin and Arthur was a man, whom they didn't recognise, clothed in a floor-length cloak that shadowed his face.

Arthur eyed the mysterious stranger warily and asked, "Erm, can we help you?"

"My time is drawing near. Throughout my life I have been told of the stories that surround Camelot's future – in which the Once and Future King and Emrys will unite the lands of Albion and bring peace."

"I'm not sure wha- " Arthur began, but the man wasn't finished.

"You are a strong king, Arthur, yet magic is still outlawed. When will this change? When will there be equality? If you didn't guess, I am sorcerer. I made the decision to risk my secrecy to perform one action that will hopefully change everything."

At this point Arthur was standing in shock but with one hand placed upon the grip of his sword, ready. Merlin gave him a warning look.

"You must understand how much sorcery impacts everyday life in these times. You must understand that it is not the magical ability of a sorcerer that determines whether they are good or evil but the choices that they make. I can safely say that if it were not for magic you would not be here now. I'm sorry, Arthur, for what I am about to do – you too Emrys – but it must happen."

"I'm sorry, but what exactly are you planning to do? And who on earth is Emrys?"

The man only shook his head. Arthur and Merlin watched as he began to mutter under his breath and his eyes momentarily flashed gold, until they both lost consciousness. Therefore, neither of them noticed the effects of the spell, nor that the sorcerer had made his exit from the scene.

* * *

It was the sunlight that awoke Merlin the next day. After much difficulty he had opened his eyes only to be briefly blinded by the strength of the rays. He adjusted eventually, although he felt strange. It was something he couldn't place his finger on and so he just linked it with tiredness. The next thought that crossed his mind was that he should probably awaken Arthur so that they could return to the castle. He could only imagine how anxious Gwen, Gaius and the knights must be – no doubt a search party had already been arranged.

Merlin turned his head to where he assumed Arthur was lying down and saw himself in a peaceful slumber. '_Wow you really are tired'_, he thought to himself. Yet however many times he blinked to refresh his vision, the scene before him remained the same. Despite being clouded by disbelief, he managed to make the instinctive decision to look at his own appearance.

As Merlin stood beside a flowing river and saw Arthur's body reflected back at him, he remembered the words of the sorcerer the night before.

_'I made the decision to risk my secrecy…'_

_'…to peform one action…'_

_'I'm sorry, Arthur, for what I am about to do- you too Emrys…'_

_'You must understand how much magic impacts everyday life in these times.'_

_'…magic…'_

Suddenly everything fell into place and Merlin came to the awful realisation. Thoughts entered his mind in sharp bursts. '_Oh God. No way. This can't be happening. Arthur. What will he say? He'll find out about my magic…'_

The sorcerer had swapped their bodies and Merlin had no idea for how long. There was one thing in particular, though, that the warlock's mind focused on the most. Would Arthur have magic or would he? He held out his hands, glanced at Arthur to check he was still asleep and spoke softly, "blostma". Nothing happened. So not only had the mighty Emrys lost his physical body but he had been robbed of his powers. He probably would've dwelled on that fact for longer if Arthur hadn't chosen that moment to make his conscious state known.

"I hope you have an explanation as to why we appear to have switched bodies, Merlin."

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**A/N: ****_Thanks for reading! I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed and gave me your opinions! If you didn't enjoy it, it would be really helpful if you told me why that was or gave me some suggestions on how to improve my writing style. _**

**_More importantly, should I continue with this story? Is it something you'd like me to develop? I haven't written any more yet, but I have a few ideas of where I could take it. _**

**_Thanks, Tara :3 x_**


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